Sheep, not Wolves!

A few days back, while reading my Open Heavens devotional titled “Who do you belong to?”, I came across John 10:27. One thing I love about the bible is the fact that each time you read it, you get a new revelation. While reading John 10:27, NKJV: My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, I was reminded of a recent message by Bishop T.D Jakes in which he mentioned that God created us as sheep for a reason, to be fully dependent on Him. As I reflected on this verse and the message, I realised that whenever God described His relationship with us, He referred to us as sheep and to Himself as the Good Shepherd.

When you think about sheep, they are one of the most defenceless animals in the worlds. Why then would God refer to us as sheep, instead of lions or some other strong animal. Even when Jesus was sending out the twelve disciples, He said: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16, NKJV). This tells me that God knew the terrain He was sending us to, and it definitely wasn’t some oasis filled with lush green grass and warm springs. He was sending us out to the jungle were we, His children, would be like prey in the jungle. Why then would He create us that way?

The reason, as earlier mentioned, is so that we can learn to trust and rely on Him. When you have our own strength or defences, do you go out looking for help. Definitely not! But when you’re weak, you’ll always be looking for a strong ally to back you up. This desire to trust and rely on Him, is what helps build the relationship God desires us to have with Him. When you think of the shepherd, their role is to not just lead the sheep, but to also protect the sheep from any danger. In order for them to do this, they need to know their sheep, not just the number of sheep but the unique features of the sheep, to ensure they do not mix them up with another person’s flock. Gal. 5:22-23 gives us insight into the features of the flock we should belong to. The sheep on the other hand, also needs to know the shepherd (in looks and voice), so it doesn’t go the wrong way and end up getting lost or dead.

From this, you can see that it is all about a relationship in which we learn to trust and obey God. If truly we belong to God, we would learn to rely on Him and draw closer to Him, no matter the situation we face. In Psalm 23:1, we refer to God as our shepherd, the One who provides for us. In Is. 40:11 and Eze. 34:30-31, Jesus in turn refers to us as His sheep, and as His sheep, it is His duty to ensure we never lose our way, even if it means laying down His life to protect us (John 10:10-11 & 15). When we are conscious of this relationship, and acknowledge God as our Shepherd, we have all the protection we need. No matter the situation we face, because we belong to God, we will always come out of it victorious and better. We do not have to fight the battle, because God is fighting the battle on our behalf (II Chr.20:17). Trust and rely on the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ!

Photo cred: Biblia by Faithlife

The Caleb Mentality

While reading the Open Heavens devotional for 18^th August, which talked about the letter to the Philadelphian Church, two things that stood out to me were what I would call the Caleb mentality and the Solomon mentality. When we look at life, challenges are a part and parcel of it. Even Jesus in John 16:33, said we would have challenges but then caveated it by saying “I have overcome the world”.

Looking back, I have experience both the highs and the lows as I’m sure everyone else has. But something I noticed was that there were certain times I got to those high moments in life and relaxed spiritually. The decision to relax were not always taken intentionally but they happened. And when I relaxed, I began to drift away from my relationship with God and engage in activities that I shouldn’t have. When this happens, this is what I would refer to as the Solomon mentality. Solomon was a man that had everything any person could ever dream of. But a point came when he relaxed and as time passed, became an idol worshipper and a polygamist (I Kings 11). As Daddy G.O. pointed out, after building the temple, Solomon relaxed and in doing so forgot about God.

On the other hand, is what I refer to as the Caleb mentality. Caleb was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses into Canaan to obtain a report of the land and assess the Israelites chances of victory. Of the twelve, only he and Joshua gave a good report (Num. 13:30; 14:5-9). This same Caleb at the age of 85 decided to go and take a mountain that was filled with “great and fortified” cities (Joshua 14:11-12). He even went as far as saying that he still had the strength for war! I don’t know about you but when I picture myself at 85, I don’t imagine myself gearing up to go and fight a battle. But this is the mentality we ought to have. One in which we are constantly on the alert for opportunities, for new mountains to conquer. This is the sort of mentality Daddy G.O has. According to our 21^st century encyclopaedia (Wikipedia), RCCG has over 14,000 parishes all around the world. Despite this, at the age of 80 he is still looking for new mountains to conquer all over the world. That is the Caleb mentality!

As children of God, we were given one mission after the resurrection of Jesus: And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). When you have the Caleb mentality, even when you get to the top, you will still be on the lookout for new opportunities. Because if you don’t, it is easy to go the way of Solomon or his father David, who stayed back in his palace instead of going to war and ended up committing murder and adultery (II Sam. 11). You may say that is extreme but as we dey say, na from clap dance dey start (meaning big things don’t happen suddenly). The charge I have for you is to develop the Caleb mentality! Don’t ever think you have arrived like the rich fool Jesus spoke about (Luke 12:16-20). As G.O said in the devotional “remain busy for God, asking for new mountains to conquer all the time”.

Photo cred: Mountain